The present invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for securing items using rail systems, e.g., cargo within a vehicle, and more particularly to a tie-down receivable in a rail or track mounted to a bed or load deck of a vehicle, such as a pickup truck or sports utility vehicle, for securing cargo within the bed or load deck.
Vehicles are often used to carry cargo, for example, in a bed or load deck of a pickup truck or sport utility vehicle. To secure cargo to the load deck, tie-downs have been suggested that may be mounted to a floor and/or side walls of the load deck. Cables or straps may be wrapped around or otherwise engaged with the cargo to limit movement of the cargo within the load deck, and ends of the cables or straps secured to one or more tie-downs. The tie-downs may be mounted directly to the floor and/or side walls, or may be received in one or more tracks that may be mounted to the load deck.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,020,770, 4,850,769, 5,259,711, 5,765,978, and 5,871,318 disclose track systems that include a tie-down or car that is slidable along a track. The track, which includes a slot extending between ends of the track, is mounted to a vehicle, e.g., to a side wall or floor of the vehicle. Generally, the car includes a ring or hook, thereby providing a tie-down for receiving a cable or strap. The car may be slid along the track to a desired location, and then the car may be secured to the track at the desired location.
One disadvantage of such systems is that the cars may not be easily removed from the tracks. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,711 discloses a car that includes a base portion that is inserted into a slot of the track from one end. Because the base portion is wider than the top of the slot, the car cannot be removed from the track unless the car is slid to one end, which may require removing an end cap covering the end of the track. Alternatively, U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,318 discloses a track that includes a plurality of enlarged openings spaced apart along the track that allow the car to be removed when aligned with the enlarged openings. This arrangement, however, may risk the car being removed from the track if the car becomes loose and slides into alignment with a set of the enlarged openings.
In addition, the cars for track systems may include mechanical latches for securing the cars at desired location along a track. U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,318, for example, discloses a car that includes locking discs that may be tightened to engage the track by rotating a plunger coupled to the discs. Such latches, however, may become loose, possibly allowing the cargo to shift, and/or allowing the car to vibrate and/or generate undesired noise. Further, latch mechanisms may require tools or special handling, thereby complicating adjusting and/or securing the car to the track.
Accordingly, tie-downs and track systems for securing cargo to vehicles would be considered useful.
The present invention is directed to apparatus and methods for securing cargo to a vehicle, and more particularly to tie-downs or sliders receivable in rails or tracks mounted to a bed, load deck, or other storage area of a vehicle, such as a pickup, sport utility vehicle, or other truck, for securing cargo within the storage area.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a device is provided that includes a shaft including first and second ends defining an axis, a head on the first end of the shaft, and a foot on the second end of the shaft. A hook, ring, or other cargo securing element may be provided on the head of the shaft. In one embodiment, the foot may be xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d shaped, thereby defining a pair of opposing toes extending away from one another transversely to the axis. The foot may have a variety of cross-sectional geometries, e.g., such that the toes define a flat upper surface, a pointed or otherwise convex upper surface, and the like. Preferably, the foot has a width that is no larger than a cross-section of the spacer. In one embodiment, the foot may be pivotable about an axis that is transverse to the axis defined by the shaft.
A plate may be slidably mounted to the shaft between the first and second ends that is biased to move away from the head for engaging a portion of a rail between the plate and the foot. For example, a spring element, such as a compression spring, may be coupled between the plate and the head portion for biasing the plate towards the foot. In an alternative embodiment, the plate may be biased to move away from the foot and towards the head, e.g., by a compression spring coupled between the plate and the foot or an extension spring coupled between the plate and the head.
The plate may include one or more side walls extending towards the head portion of the shaft, thereby defining a housing including a cavity for receiving the spring element therein. Optionally, the device may include a spacer, e.g., a tubular spacer received over the shaft, for maintaining a minimal spacing between the plate and the foot.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a system is provided for securing cargo within a storage space that includes one or more tie-downs, such as the device described above, and a rail member. The rail member may include a pair of rails defining a slot therebetween extending along a longitudinal axis. In a preferred embodiment, the rail member includes a base portion from which the pair of rails extend, thereby defining a channel. Flanges may extend from ends of the rails into the channel towards the base portion, thereby further defining the slot. The rail member may include a plurality of notches or pockets within the slot that are spaced apart along the rail member. In a preferred embodiment, the notches are provided in opposing pairs along the lower edges of the flanges.
The tie-down may include a shaft including first and second ends defining a transverse axis therebetween, a head on the first end, and a foot on the second end. A plate or housing may be slidably mounted to the shaft between the first and second ends that is biased to move away from the head and towards the foot. Preferably, the foot has a width that is smaller than a width of the slot in the rail member, and a length that is longer than the width of the slot.
The foot of the tie-down may be inserted into the slot such that the shaft and the transverse axis are transverse to the longitudinal axis and the foot is oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. As the foot is inserted into the slot, the plate or housing may contact upper edges of the rails. The head may be depressed, e.g., pushed into the housing, until the foot is disposed below lower edges of the flanges of the rail member. The tie-down may then be rotated about the transverse axis until the foot is oriented transversely to the longitudinal axis.
The foot may be aligned with a set of notches within the slot, and the head may be released, whereupon the foot may automatically be pulled into the notches due to the bias of the plate or housing. Alternatively, the head may be released, and the tie-down may be slid along the rail member until the foot encounters a set of notches, whereupon the foot may enter the notches. With the foot received in a set of notches, the rails may be engaged between the foot and the plate or housing, thereby substantially securing the tie-down relative to the rail member.
Preferably, the foot and the notches have complementary geometries such that the foot may be securely received in the notches. For example, the foot may have a rectangular, triangular, or at least partially cylindrical cross-section, thereby defining an upper surface that may be flat, or pointed, or otherwise generally convex. The plurality of notches may be a continuous pattern of undulations that extend along the rail member such that the foot may be received at any location along the rail member. Because of the bias of the tie-down, undulating notches may allow the foot to slide into the nearest notch when released.
With the tie-down secured, a cargo securing element may be secured to the head of the tie-down. For example, the head may include a hook or a ring, and a complementary cargo securing element, e.g., a hook, a strap, a cable, a cargo net, and the like, may be engaged with or received through the hook or ring.
To move the tie-down to a new location, the head may be depressed or pushed towards the rails for disengaging the foot from the notches, the tie-down may be slid along the rail member to a new location, and then the tie-down may be released, whereupon due to the spring bias, the foot may be automatically received in another set of notches in the rail member, thereby substantially securing the tie-down at the new location. Preferably, the head may be released before reaching the new location such that, as the foot approaches the new location, the foot may be biased to enter a set of notches at the new location.
To remove the tie-down from the rail member, the head portion may be depressed or pushed towards the rails for disengaging the foot from the notches. The tie-down may be rotated about the transverse axis until the foot is oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, and then the foot may then be removed from within the slot until the tie-down is released from the rail member.
Thus, a tie-down in accordance with the present invention may be biased to automatically secure the tie-down to a rail member. As the tie-down is slid to a desired location along a rail member, the foot may automatically engage an available set of notches, thereby eliminating the need to visually confirm the location of the notches before securing the tie-down. In addition, because of the spring bias, the tie-down may be substantially securely engaged with the rail member, thereby reducing rattling or other undesired noise. Further, because the tie-down may be rotated relative to the rail member, the tie-down may be easily removed from any location along the rail member, thereby eliminating the need to slide the tie-down to one end of the rail member.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.